Off-the-Shoulder

An off-the-shoulder neckline, the bardot after Brigitte Bardot who fixed it in the 1950s, runs a horizontal edge across the upper arms below the shoulder points. Collarbones, shoulder caps and the top of the back all show in one continuous band of skin. Sleeves usually continue below the edge, which separates it from strapless. The arms are covered, the shoulders are not.

The horizontal is the effect and the engineering problem at once. Visually it widens the shoulder line and balances fuller hips. It also presents the collarbone the way a V presents the neck. That is why it stacks up in wedding-guest and occasion dressing. Structurally, nothing passes over the shoulders to hold the top up. The edge instead relies on elastic, internal stays or a fitted bodice below. Cheap versions creep down or ride up all night.

Arms pay for the drama. Raising them lifts the entire neckline. Hailing a cab, dancing with your hands up or reaching a shelf becomes a wardrobe event. Do a full arm raise in the fitting room and watch what the elastic does when you lower them. A strapless bra is effectively required, and jewelry logic inverts here. The bare horizontal wants statement earrings. A necklace crosses the line the neckline drew and muddies it.